Read George Will’s Touching Column on Raising His Now-40-Year-Old Son With Down Syndrome
- Posted on May 2, 2012 at 9:19pm by
Mytheos Holt
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George Will, frequently known for his acerbic takedowns of the Obama administration, has gone for a completely different tack in today’s column. The venerable Washington Post columnist instead chooses to celebrate the 40th birthday of his son Jonathan Will, who coincidentally happens to have Down’s Syndrome. You can read Will’s tender tribute in column form at the Post (excerpts below), as well as look at a truly touching photo gallery of Jon growing up (also excerpted here):
When Jonathan Frederick Will was born 40 years ago — on May 4, 1972, his father’s 31st birthday — the life expectancy for people with Down syndrome was about 20 years. That is understandable.
The day after Jon was born, a doctor told Jon’s parents that the first question for them was whether they intended to take Jon home from the hospital. Nonplussed, they said they thought that is what parents do with newborns. Not doing so was, however, still considered an acceptable choice for parents who might prefer to institutionalize or put up for adoption children thought to have necessarily bleak futures. Whether warehoused or just allowed to languish from lack of stimulation and attention, people with Down syndrome, not given early and continuing interventions, were generally thought to be incapable of living well, and hence usually did not live as long as they could have.[...]
Jon was born just 19 years after James Watson and Francis Crick published their discoveries concerning the structure of DNA, discoveries that would enhance understanding of the structure of Jon, whose every cell is imprinted with Down syndrome. Jon was born just as prenatal genetic testing, which can detect Down syndrome, was becoming common. And Jon was born eight months before Roe v. Wadeinaugurated this era of the casual destruction of pre-born babies.
This era has coincided, not just coincidentally, with the full, garish flowering of the baby boomers’ vast sense of entitlement, which encompasses an entitlement to exemption from nature’s mishaps, and to a perfect baby. So today science enables what the ethos ratifies, the choice of killing children with Down syndrome before birth. That is what happens to 90 percent of those whose parents receive a Down syndrome diagnosis through prenatal testing.
Which is unfortunate, and not just for them. Judging by Jon, the world would be improved by more people with Down syndrome, who are quite nice, as humans go. It is said we are all born brave, trusting and greedy, and remain greedy. People with Down syndrome must remain brave in order to navigate society’s complexities. They have no choice but to be trusting because, with limited understanding, and limited abilities to communicate misunderstanding, they, like Blanche DuBois in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” always depend on the kindness of strangers. Judging by Jon’s experience, they almost always receive it.
Will’s column concludes on a hopeful note, noting that Jon will spend his 40th birthday at a baseball game, where he is, apparently, at his happiest.
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Comments (73)
EqualJustice
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 8:55amIt’s very sad to think that IF liberals had their way, the mother would have had an abortion, but back then, there was no TEST to see if a child was so called “NORMAL” or not – so their solution was to INSTITUTIONALIZE that baby? How very, very sad. Having two adopted children, I find it unimaginable that they were almost aborted and would not even have existed? They are beautiful, intelligent and caring individuals; both very loving and productive. Look at your own kids and imagine them NOT being allowed to live, then think about how much JOY they bring to your life? Every life has value and purpose. Wonderful story!
Report Post »sbenard
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 3:09amA leader of my Church recently said, “Many of God’s sweetest spirits come housed in frail frames.” He then told of how his grandson, born with a rare chromosomal disease related to Down Syndrome, has been a tremendous blessing and joy to not only their family, but many others as well.
Report Post »This is precisely why Satan inspires his servants, among them being Barack Obama, to snuff out their influence, by snuffing out their lives, before they CAN influence other people with their sweet dispositions.
I have a niece that has Down Syndrome. She is the most loving and grateful member of our family. Her mother told me that when she was carrying her, the doctors told my sister that she should abort her. She didn’t, and to our blessing.
The woman on Dr. Phil this week has lost her right to be called “mother”. MONSTER would be a much more appropriate title.
tess q
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 6:06pmnice and heart warming post. thanks for sharing you personal story.
Report Post »MATTtheCONTRACTOR
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 2:30amMy 15 year old daughter has special needs and takes classes with 20+ other special needs students (none with down syndrome) at the public high school. I have wondered for some time where the kids with DS are…my memories from my youth were that most of the special needs kids had DS. Now I know why, and it makes me very sad…they are being aborted. Special needs kids are so much closer to God than we can ever be (except maybe our 1st 2-3 years). I am positive that He gives them to us so we can know Him better. I will not be praying for bi-partisanship tomorrow (national day of prayer), or even a better economy (not that I wouldn’t love to see it come back). I will be praying for life…and begging God that it is not too late for the U.S. to return to Him. Please join me in this prayer.
Report Post »ReviveOurNation
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 8:58amWell said, Matt!
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 10:43amAgreeing and praying with you Matt. GOD’s blessings on all HIS kids this very special day.
Report Post »jpsays
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 2:08amTrue angels among us.
Report Post »Chet Hempstead
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 4:31amThat’s actually a kind of a stereotype, a generality that is not always true. I have met a man with Down’s Syndrome who was a real creep, as rude and nasty a person as I have ever encountered. I don’t doubt that he must have some very good reason for feeling the anger that he was always bristling with, but like most angry people, he took it out on a lot of the wrong people. I bring this up not to dump on that poor guy, but to point out that thinking of them as angels is just another way of not thinking of them as what they are – people.
Report Post »Kerstile
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 6:33amChet, personality is derived from the quality of care and amount of love given by the parents, especially when the child is young. It doesn’t matter if the child is normal or Downs. Perhaps the person you interacted with wasn’t loved or treated well as he grew up. I would expect that all of Will’s children would be what we describe as “nice” people. I don’t like the word “stereotype”. To say others are doing it is a veiled insult. So, with all due respect, buzz off.
Report Post »Chet Hempstead
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 4:40pmI don’t doubt that all of George Will’s kids are nice people, but the idea that all people with Down’s Syndrome are nice, yeah, that is a stereotytpe. That’s not an insult, it’s just a fact. I don’t think anyone is stereotyping this group deliberately or negatively, but that doesn’t make it not a stereotype. .
Report Post »kaydeebeau
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 6:34pm@ Chet so what is the standard of nice? What is your definition of creepy? If my definition includes your behavior that makes it so – right? Since we are talking subjective standards…my “standard” is as valid as yours
Report Post »kaydeebeau
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 6:35pm@ Chet are you projecting again?
Report Post »GclefGinger
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 12:29am19 years ago George Will wrote an equally fitting and beautiful tribute to Jonathan on his 21st birthday. I have thought of that essay long ago. It was oddly in the “My Turn” column of Newsweek when that magazine was worth reading.
Report Post »Joelswork
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 11:55pmWe are 9 months into our adventure with our two little fellas, both with Down Syndrome. We adopted both last year not knowing what to expect, just following God’s will for us. God is teaching me more about Him through these little guys than I have learned in my previous 36 years. Our almost 2 year old has gone from completely nonresponsive 14 pound orphan to a 26 pound little boy who can almost walk, has a verbal vocabulary of about 30 words and can sign about 40 words….and is fearless and loving all at once (he is now close to typical testing levels). Our 4 year old is taking a bit longer to work out of the institutional habbits of the only world he knew but is so eager to learn and please his new momma and daddy and is astounding all the doctors and therapist as well (they all want to know how we are getting them to progress so fast…and it is simple, we are treating them like little boys and have a great number of people praying for them). I could go on and on about my boys, like any proud pappa could, but if you want to know more about the amazing journey check out our blog at:
adoptingourfirst.blogspot.com
Report Post »mharry860
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 12:40amKeep up the good work. I lost my sister last year to pneumonia. I wanted to blame the care giver, but then I would have to blame myself, because she could have been living with us. It was a way bigger hit than the loss of my parents. Loss of an innocent one is real hard.
Report Post »Vladia
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 2:09amGod bless you and your family!
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 2:41amYou are truly a wonderful, loving parent and it shows through your words. May God continue to bless you and your family.
Report Post »Jenny Lind
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 7:55amMy Mom taught these kinds of children in a little school in West LA, befor the stupidity of “mainstreaming”. They were funny, some very smart and all were extremely loving. But then,only teachers who were really loving were hired there, non union types. Wonder of wonders, parent participation was very high. It was a great place for students AND teachers and family. More got learned than what was expected. Then the state came in and said mainstream. Now we hear how they are treated. I loved those kids, my very “normal” kids got to visit with their grandmother there and they loved it too. It wasen’t without moments of anger, confusion etc, but those kids were special in so many ways, so full of love and “try”, they sometimes shamed me.
Report Post »ohiowordguy
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 11:29pmIt is telling to read the thoughtful, loving comments here vs. the snarky, condescending comments on the WaPo site.
Just who are the hateful ones?
Kudos to Mr. Will and his family for loving Jon as they do, and never once questioning his worth as a human being.
Report Post »angelcat
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 11:14pmI read this article and thought about little Tripp and how he can have a happy, long life ahead. And then I remember the people who mocked him and criticized the Palin’s for bringing him into this world. They should be ashamed and Jonathan should be proud of what he has accomplished.
Report Post »JackSprat
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 10:48pmI read the column in my local newspaper today, afterwards, I was wiping tears from my eyes. Many years ago I taught special education. I was always amazed at how the down syndrome students behaved. They were dealt a different hand than most in the world, but I believed that I learned more from them than I could ever give to them. They taught me that everyone on this earth is here for a reason. As human beings with souls we know that our time on earth is finite and I do believe that God has a special place in heaven reserved for Jon. What a great person George Will is, what a great column he wrote and I have a renewed faith in mankind now.
Report Post »txblaze
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 10:36pm“Judging by Jon, the world would be improved by more people with Down syndrome,”
Report Post »I have volunteered at many of the Special Olympics events in my area and I agree with this statement. I would go a little further and say that these events are a micro version of what the world should be. At these events you will not see racism – when the runners reach the finish line they don’t care what color the person is that is cheering them on and hugging them. Volunteers don’t care what color the athletes are when they receive their hard earned gold, silver, or bronze medal – they are happy to place that medal around their neck. You will not find class envy. Those things do not matter in the lives of people who are just looking to enjoy life. Next time you hear someone say “can’t we all just get along”…they do at Special Olympics events. I have always seen the best on humanity at these events.
EgoBrain
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 6:16pmAmen.
The stories I’m reading here, are beautiful. Just beautiful.
Report Post »Liamsdad
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 10:35pmI had an opportunity a few weeks ago to spend some time with some Special Olympics kids. I was so moved by their love for each other, so completely unconditional. My son is mildly autistic, not too bad really. But I have learned so much by just sitting back and watching. You learn to be patient and you learn to listen. I do consider my son to be a blessing.
I like Mr. Will’s insight into my generations sense of entitlement and how it relates to abortions in these kind of cases. Well put. I often look at my son and wonder what people would do if they were faced with the choice of aborting someone like him.
May God help us. What this generation has done….How can we wonder how life has become so cheap? How can anyone wonder why the culture is so course? We are reaping what we have sown..
Report Post »Whiteeagle
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 10:24pmBeautiful !
Report Post »dealer@678
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 10:21pmI cant help but notice who the dog gravitates to
Report Post »scuba13
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 10:32pmHopefully it won‘t be towards Obama when he’s hungry.
Report Post »dealer@678
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 10:37pmJonathan and his dog are both patriots and american treasures
Report Post »txblaze
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 10:38pmlol!! Excellent observation!
Report Post »brad460
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 11:11pmWhat God created for us is simply amazing. Awesome story. If we are to survive as a nation, and I might say as a civilization, we better doggone quick figure out what makes EVERYTHING tick. It is The Master. This story shows that All people are created in God’s image.
On the flip side, and completely unrelated to this story when one cell in an organism like the human body misfires and grows in ways that are not usual, we call that cell cancerous and are aware of the inevitable response of left untreated.
In society, we not only tolerate, but actively encourage and highlight individual “cells” of society going against the flow. Now these deviations from the norm are called “diversity”. Is a cancerous cell bad or is it just “diversity”?
In other words, nowadays, you can buck the societal norms that have been in place for thousands of years and instead of being labelled odd ( nee cancerous), we now “celebrate the diversity” and call it “tolerance”.
Think about it.
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 10:19pmEVERY human life has value! :)
Report Post »noland
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 10:11pmWhat an awsome Family. Thats the what makes America Great. Its Family. National Day of Prayer tomorrow will be remembering Jon and all the other Great Families around our nation. May GOD Give us HIS Blessings
Report Post »lassiegirldawn
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 10:09pmMy cousin had a test when she was pregnant and it showed the baby had Down Syndrome. The doctors wanted her to abort, but that is not what she and her husband chose to do. Today they have a daughter 19yrs old, that just graduated from High School has a job and is getting her own place. She is a joy to be around and the world would have lost a great human being had she been aborted.
Report Post »ginger3350
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 10:03pmWhat a great story! At a time when a mother on Dr. Phil pines for the ability to off her two children
Report Post »that are disabled and living in a facility. Seems she can only be bothered to visit them twice a month. She says that if they could kill themselves they would, so she wishes it could be done. Sick think is an audience member speaks out against it and she is not applauded; they applauded how she should have the right to do what she wants to do. Please don’t cloak it in the name of euthanasia-call it what it is: murder. God bless George Will for being a father that loves his child no matter what.
Copper Catfish
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 10:00pmAs a retired special education teacher, I LOVE this story!
Report Post »TRILO
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 9:57pmBlessed are all God’s children. It is so nice to hear a story about people who accept the trials that life delivers and look forward to each day with love in their hearts. We live in a society that seeks perfection and instant gratification in everything. It is so refreshing to see that the Will family accepted life’s challenges as so many today would not. They are a shinning example for all of us.
May Johnathon have many, many more happy birthdays. :-)
Report Post »AxelPhantom
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 10:11pmAmen!
Report Post »noland
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 9:56pmWhat an awsome Family. Tomorrow is OUR National Day of Prayer, will be praying for the Great families God has Blessed us with here in America. May God Keep HIS Hands on us all. AMEN
Report Post »dealer@678
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 9:56pmThey wreak love. Love is all they know
Report Post »falschimjaeger
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 9:45pmHis son is also a display of courage. It is sad that there are people out in the world that marginalize and brush them off. So called “normal people” can really learn something about kindness those with Downs Syndrome project like rays of hope in this dark world.
Report Post »JQCitizen
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 9:39pmLove this story! I am convinced that God knew that having people with Down’s Syndrome would be A GOOD THING for the rest of us. I know in my life they have been some of the NICEST people I’ve known!
Report Post »sealgaire
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 8:43amCLOWNS OF GOD
Report Post »By: Morris L. West
I know what you are thinking.
You need a sign.
What better one could I give
than to make this little one whole and new?
I could do it; but I will not.
I am the Lord and not a conjurer.
I gave this mite a gift I denied to all of you
ETERNAL INNOCENCE
To you she looks imperfect
but to me she is flawless,
like the bud that dies unopened,
or the fledglings
that fall from the nest to be devoured by ants.
She never offended me,
as all of you have done.
She never perverted the work of My Father’s hands.
She is necessary to you.
She will evoke the kindness that will prompt you to
gratitude for your own good fortune….more…..
she will remind you every day that I am who I am,
that My ways are not yours,
and the smallest dust mite whirled in darkest
space does not fall out of My hand.
I have chosen you.
you have not chosen Me.
this little one is My sign to you.
TREASURE HER.
falschimjaeger
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 9:39pmGeorge Wills is one heck of a man. His love and devotion he has for his son is truly inspiring.
Report Post »LeadNotFollow
Posted on May 2, 2012 at 9:35pm…
Report Post »Love this story.
I have relatives with Down’s Syndrome. They are the most loving, sweet, adorable, beautiful human beings. A true gift from God.
IMCHRISTIAN
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 1:14pmI totally agree with you. We are all the children of God and when there is an administration that would even think of killing any child, before or after birth, they should realize that nobody is perfect. Since nobody is perfect and in their mind all should be destroyed then this will be a mighty empty World.
Nobody should be playing god.
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